cacole wrote: We had one on our HO scale club layout that was eventually removed because it was so horrible. The bottom pan was warped when we received it and the turntable itself was extremely wobbly and unstable. We first tried using it as a powered turntable but gave up in frustration at the amount of noise it made.We relocated it into an area where it could be turned by hand like you are wanting to do, but even then it was problematic because the bridge was so unstable that nothing could get onto or off of it without derailing. It was eventually thrown away.
We had one on our HO scale club layout that was eventually removed because it was so horrible. The bottom pan was warped when we received it and the turntable itself was extremely wobbly and unstable. We first tried using it as a powered turntable but gave up in frustration at the amount of noise it made.
We relocated it into an area where it could be turned by hand like you are wanting to do, but even then it was problematic because the bridge was so unstable that nothing could get onto or off of it without derailing. It was eventually thrown away.
With a lot of perseverance, I managed to get my motorized kit working. I feel good, to this day, about this one of so few successful outcomes in my very short modelling history. I also found the bridge to be unusable due to its wobbling, so I eventually shimmed it below the pit by placing styrene 1/16" thick on either side of the axle between the large washer and the plastic pit's base. That drew the bridge tighter to its upper rest and reduced the wobbling considerably. Now, my only concern is getting the bridge to actually rotate through 180 deg, which it cannot do without some starting and binding...somewhere.
My recommendation is, if you have lots of time and patience, and don't mind several hours of fiddling with the much cheaper kit, do it. If you are impatient and would like to run a TT sooner, then you will be better served with the built-up model.
The old Walthers 90' kit turntable isn't the best way to go as it had a lot of problems. There are several different posts on the MR site you can look up and see more details about the problems people have been experiencing.
The best bet for a turntable these days is the Walthers 90' or 130' assembled tables. They aren't cheap at $299.95 each but you definitely get a great turntable for the money. First, and most important..........IT WORKS!!! It is completeley reliable, smooth and fine looking. Second, it has a built in indexing system.
A turntable that doesn't work well is a terrible experience so paying a little more for one of this quality is money well spent. I picked up two on ebay from Scale Structures for a little over $200 each.
Spend the money or forever be disappointed!
Roger
Does anybody know if the old kit 90' walthers works alright manualy?I can't get any replys.
jimbob7